


To Tell a Tale

by RiderOfBrohon



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-05
Updated: 2015-03-05
Packaged: 2018-03-15 10:12:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3443381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiderOfBrohon/pseuds/RiderOfBrohon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which ten years have passed since Bilbo returned to the Shire and he has accepted his life as one without the company of dwarves.</p><p>Fate seems to have other ideas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Tell a Tale

Bilbo flopped down on the grass, panting after his run. He tried his best to keep in shape, and continued to practice what little sword fighting he knew. It had been the same routine for ten years. Breakfast with Frodo, work in the flower garden, second breakfast with Frodo, and sometimes the young hobbits friends, work in the vegetable garden, elevenses, more work in the vegetable garden, some swordplay, lunch, cleaning up around the house, afternoon tea, then sometimes he would go for a run. Other times he'd tell stories to his young nephew or spend some time writing out his adventure with Thorin's company. After that was dinner, a short run, and then supper.

 _Ten years,_ he thought. _I can't believe it's been ten years already._

Ten years since he left the great halls of Erebor and returned to his home in the Shire. Ten years since he had last seen his friends and not a day went by when he didn't think of them.

It was hard not to; especially after Merry and Pippin had gotten old enough to start causing trouble. He often times found himself calling them Fíli and Kíli by accident.

He sighed as he wondered how they were all doing. He knew they had survived their wounds, had made sure he knew for sure before he left the mountain. Fíli was probably starting to help Thorin as king, and Kíli he hoped had gotten his happy ending with Tauriel. Glóin's wife and son had probably joined him at Erebor, and Bilbo wished he had stayed to meet them.

As for the others... He had no idea what they were doing. He just hoped they were well and happy with their lives.

"Uncle Bilbo?"

Bilbo removed the hand covering his eyes and looked up to his nephew. "Yes Frodo?"

"We were wondering if you could tell us about the king under the mountain." Merry, Pippin and Sam, who were standing behind Frodo, all nodded their heads in agreement.

Bilbo chuckled and patted the ground next to him, inviting the younglings to lay down. Frodo dropped down quickly, curling into Bilbo's right side while Sam did the sam on his left. Pippin laid on Bilbo's chest, resting his chin on his hands as Merry laid on his back, resting his head on Pippin's calves.

"Everyone comfortable?" At the noises of conformation, Bilbo began.

"The king under the mountain had a fair childhood. The eldest of three children, he was destined to rule the mountain kingdom of Erebor. And as he grew, he learned everything he needed to know from his grandfather, wanting to be a great king for his subjects. Sadly, the king never got a chance to rule. His grandfather was sick of the mind and boasted of the many great treasures Erebor held in her halls. Word travelled, and one day a mighty dragon claimed Erebor as his own, leaving the dwarves homeless and defenseless."

"That's awful!" Pippin shouted.

"It is indeed, Pip." Bilbo answered. "But the king new that one day, he would reclaim the kingdom as his and return his family to their rightful home. When they left Erebor, the only family he had was his sister, and it was for her, who was only a young child at the time, he most wanted to reclaim it.

"So the dwarves traveled. Over plains and mountains, through forests and the towns of men. They sought help from their cousins in the Iron Halls, but were turned away." This elicited shouts of disbelief from the boys curled around him and Bilbo smiled minutely at their interest in the story. "So, they turned around and headed west to the Blue Mountains and were sheltered there. The kings sister wed and had two fine sons, Fíli and Kíli. They were just like you two." He said, looking to Merry and Pippin. "Constantly getting in trouble and causing more ruckus than two younglings should be able to cause." Merry and Pippin laughed, causing Bilbo to roll his eyes.

"But the king couldn't rest. For years he waited for the sign to come that it was time for Erebor to be reclaimed."

As Bilbo described the kings troubles in the cities of men, he didn't hear a group of thirteen individuals come up the path, nor did he hear them shushing each other as the four boys laughed at particularly funny face Bilbo made.

"What is he telling-"

"Shh! If you're too loud he'll hear!"

"Weren't we here to-"

_"Shh!"_

"What happened after? Did the sign ever come?" Sam piped up, causing the extra listeners to quiet themselves. Bilbo nodded.

"It did. And so the king picked twelve others to go with him to reclaim their kingdom. They headed out; and, with the help of a wizard, picked up one more member for their company. The fifteen travelled far and for a very long time. They met Elves and men, faced terrifying beasts and passed through strange forests. The king often doubted one member of his company, for all of his differences, he proved himself in time and eventually became a friend of the kings.

"Then came the dragon." He said the last word with a growl, and Merry squeaked as Frodo looked at him with wide eyes.

"What happened?"

"They were unprepared for him. All of them had thought the dragon dead, but it turned out he had merely been sleeping. The company voted for their last member, a small burglar, to go inside and make sure the dragon was dead."

"Was he scared?" Pippin asked.

"Oh yes. More scared than he had ever been. But he trusted the king, and so he went. But, as he was walking through the treasury, the dragon woke, and the burglar hid.

"'Come out,'" Bilbo said in as raspy a voice he could manage. "'don't be shy. Step into the light.' The dragon growled. The burglar hid in the shadows, pressing himself as close to the wall as he could. He thought the dragon would not notice him, when suddenly, 'Aha!'" Bilbo exclaimed, squeezing Frodo and Sam. All four of the boys, and a few of their unnoticed visitors, jumped at the sudden loud noise. "'There you are, thief.' The burglar knew that if he did not act quickly, the dragon would surely have him for supper.

"Thinking quickly he raised his hands in surrender and said, 'I did not come to steal from you, O Smaug the Unassessably Wealthy.'" Bilbo said in a small voice. "For Smaug was the name of the beast, 'I merely wanted to gaze upon your magnificence! To see if you were really as great as the old tales say. I did not believe them.'

"In that moment, the burglar thought he could see the end nearing, for it did not seem that the dragon believed him. Then the dragon moved around the pillar so he was in full light, spreading his wings and lifting his head for all of his glory to be seen. 'And do you now?' He asked. The burglar could not helped but be awed at the dragon before him and so said, 'Truly, the tales and songs fall utterly short of your enormity, O Smaug the Stupendous.' And, for a brief moment, the burglar believed he would get away with his life.

"'Do you think flattery will save you?' Smaug asked. 'N-No, no.' The burglar stuttered out. 'No indeed.' The dragon agreed. And yet, Smaug did not launch himself at the small, scared being in front of him. Instead he asked where he was from, and what titles he owned.

"'Riddle Maker!' Was the burglar’s instant reply 'And, Barrel Rider.'" Bilbo could have sworn he heard a snort as he said that, but the young hobbits were entranced so he paid it no mind. "'Barrel Rider?' The dragon said, and the thief swore he heard the dragon laugh. He believed himself to be home free. 'And what about your dwarf friends? Are they waiting outside?' 'No! No dwarves here.' The burglar tried, hoping he sounded shocked enough. 'Truly,' he continued, 'you must be mistaken, O Smaug, Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities.' But the dragon would not believe him, and instead complimented him on his good manners.

"'But you are a thief, and a liar.' Smaug continued, 'I know the smell and taste of dwarf! They are drawn to the gold!' He moved around, restless as the burglar tried to get to the gem he had been sent to fetch, only to have Smaug's great claws throw it out of the way and down the hill of gold.

"'Did you think I did not know this day would come! That a pack, of dwarves would come crawling back to the mountain!' By now the burglar was very much scared for his life, and he tumbled down the gold hills after the gem while Smaug knocked over pillars he found in his way.” Bilbo continued.

"While the burglar feared it would be his last day, he was unaware that the rest of the company had made their way inside the great halls until he was running with them; running as fast as he could while the dragon followed behind and huffed out great puffs of fire. The king was separated from them and they all feared he was no more. That the dragon had gotten to him and would soon come for the rest of them."

"He didn't, right?" Frodo said. "He didn't get the king did he?"

"No, he didn't get the king." Great sighs of relief were uttered from the bodies surrounding him and he chuckled. "The dragon was killed by a great warrior from a nearby town of men, one called Lake-town, and the dwarves were free to reclaim their home." Merry cheered and was joined by Pippin, Sam and Frodo. "The story isn't over yet, though." Bilbo told them.

"It isn't?" Pippin asked.

"But they got their home back!" Frodo said.

"Yeah." Sam added. "What else is there?"

"A battle." At the excited looks Bilbo continued. "A massive battle between five armies. The Wargs and Goblins, the Men of Dale, the Elves, the Dwarves, and the Eagles. A shape shifter was there as well."

"What's a Warg?" Pippin asked.

"A large, nasty, wolf like creature. With sharp teeth and an ugly face." He lifted his head slightly and pushed his nose up, baring his teeth. The boys laughed at his antics and he prayed they would never have to see one face to face. "The Goblins wanted Erebor for themselves, and didn't care who they killed to get it. So the Elves, Men, Dwarves and Eagles all fought together for the mountain kingdom. In the end they won, but the king and his nephews were gravely injured."

"No!" Merry exclaimed quietly.

Bilbo nodded solemnly. "It did not look like they would survive, but the king of the Elves, a man named Thranduil, used his healing abilities and saved their lives.

"In the end, the king finally had his kingdom and his family, which is truly all he could have asked for." Bilbo ended with a smile.

Unbeknownst to him, his thirteen surprise visitors were looking to each other, all of them wondering if they should have come to visit the hobbit without any notice. It seemed thinking of them only made him sad, and they prepared to leave unnoticed.

"And what happened after?"

Bilbo stopped, as did the quiet dwarves.

"After?" The hobbit asked.

"Yeah. After the battle. What happened to everyone?"

"Oh. Well. Hm." He thought for a moment, imagining the endings the dwarves had hoped to have. 

"Fíli began his training as heir to the throne, and Kíli lived happily with his elven bride. Óin became chief healer of Erebor, Glóin's family returned to him and he raised his son in the regrowing kingdom. Bifur, and Bofur became Honor-guards of the king, and Bombur became on of the head chefs. Nori becomes the first official spy of Erebor, Dori became the head of trade, and Ori was named the official historian. Dwalin continued to be both body guard and close friend of the king, while Balin become the kings closest advisor.”

”And the king?” Merry asked.

Bilbo drew a breath. "The king… The king began restoring Erebor to it's former glory, and eventually met and married a beautiful dwarrow woman. Together they had two equally beautiful daughters who brought the king more joy than he had hoped to have."

"And what about the burglar?" Pippin piped up.

"The burglar betrayed his friends in battle, thinking he was doing the right thing." He said without hesitation. "Afterwards, he realised his wrongs and fought along side them. The burglar only stayed in Erebor long enough to hear of the condition of the king and princes before he returned to his home to live out his days." He smiled at them, and gently shooed Pippin off his chest.

"Now, who's ready for supper?" He asked, rising to his feet. Sam, Merry and Pippin cheered, running and tumbling down the back of the hill. Bilbo started to follow when there was a tug of his jacket. Frodo held up his arms and Bilbo chuckled, pulling his nephew up so he was situated on his shoulder. 

"Uncle Bilbo?" Frodo asked after a moment.

"Yes Frodo?"

"The burglar. Did he love the king?"

Bilbo stopped walking and stared at the young boy. He tried to reply, but all that managed to come out was a try squeak. Below him, hidden in the shadows, Thorin Oakenshield stood frozen as well, staring up in shock to where he could just see the top of Bilbo's head.

"I." Bilbo tried. He closed his eyes and swallowed, trying to get past the lump in his throat. "Yes." He said after a deep breath. "Yes he did. He loved the dwarf king very much."

"Is that why he left?"

Bilbo nodded. "Yes." He answered quietly. "That's why he left."

”And it’s for that same reason the king followed him.” A new voice put in. Bilbo froze and Frodo twisted so he was looking at who had spoken.

”You know the story too?” He asked.

Thorin nodded as he crested the hill. “I do. And I’m afraid to say your uncle got the ending wrong.”

”Uncle never gets the ending wrong!” Frodo said indignantly.

”Under normal circumstances, I'm sure you're quite right. But all of us are wrong at some point in our lives. The king especially. He thought that he knew better than his burglar friend and so he didn’t listen to him. It wasn’t until after his friend had left for home that the king realised what he had done.”

”What’d the king do?” Sam asked, coming back with Merry and Pippin as they heard the story continue.

”The king had gone mad with sickness, and let it over power him. Then, instead of listening to the burglars explanation, he cast him out of the mountain kingdom and prepared to go to war with the men and elves. It wasn't until the Orcs attacked that the king realised what he had done and tried to right his wrongs. He was too late tho9ugh. After the battle was over and he had woken up from his wounds, he found the burglar had left.

"The king never married and spent years making sure his kingdom was back to it’s former glory. Only once it was strong did he go searching for his friend. Though everyday, during every one of those long years, he spent each and every spare moment he had thinking of his burglar.”

Bilbo felt his throat closing as Thorin spoke and placed Frodo on the ground before slowly turning towards the dwarf king, though he didn’t meet his eyes.

”And once he felt the kingdom was strong enough, he left on a journey to find the burglar, leaving his sister in charge of Erebor. So he traveled, and wondered and worried and hoped. He wondered how his burglar was doing and if he had returned home safely. He worried that his apologies would be rejected and the door would be slammed in his face, and he hoped his affections would be returned.”

”So the king loved the burglar back?” Merry and Pippin asked in sync.

Bilbo raised his eyes to Thorin quickly, holding his breath as he waited for the dwarf’s answer.

”He did.” Thorin answered

Bilbo wasted no more time before he practically threw himself at Thorin, a noise somewhere between a laugh and a sob caught in his throat. Thorin’s arms immediately latched around the hobbit and held him as close as was possible.

”Do you mean it?” Bilbo asked, looking up at Thorin with watery eyes as he loosely curled his arms around the dwarfs neck.

”Every word.” Thorin said quietly. Bilbo laughed breathlessly before leaning up and capturing Thorin’s lips with his own. He jerked back in surprise when multiple loud cheers erupted from the direction of his front door.

”Did you come here with-”

”Everyone?” Thorin chuckled with a nod. “They said you offered afternoon tea.”

Bilbo laughed and shook his head. “You’re quite late for that, but you’re just in time for supper.”

Thorin smiled. “Then supper it is.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading!! This has been floating around in my head for a while and I'm thinking of adding a second chapter?
> 
> Tell me if you guys would like that! ^^
> 
> As with all my stories, I really hope you enjoyed it and if you have any comments or critiques, just let me know!
> 
> Thanks~ ^^
> 
> (psst. check out my [tumblr](http://ridersofbrohon.tumblr.com) for more Tolkien things <3 )


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